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0121.07.22

Chentari System - Quipla

Abandoned Turian Military Bunker

Quarian Migrant Fleet

Alexia Van Numenberg'Quipla

Alexia watched as the Turian Bunker Complex's systems were brought online one at a time. After power was restored two days ago, the surviving medical staff has been working around the clock nonstop to deal with suit breaches. Thankfully the Turians understood biologizes during the Krogan Rebellion and had installed bacterial scrubbing systems, old ones however, into their medical bay.

Scrubbed clean of airborne bacteria, Quarians could be undressed within the sterile environment as the remaining medical supplies were used to treat cuts, punctures, fevers, gashes, and the overall health of the two hundred Quarians inside the complex. However there had sadly been casualties due to the nature of some of the wounds inflicted during the crash. Six good Quarians have passed to the Home world.

In the meantime, those without punctured suits spent their time traveling the tunneled complexes of the bunker. Over a kilometer of interconnected tunnels and chambers, storing everything from outdated weapons and vehicles to dried food and powdered liquids.

At the least the Quarians would have some things to eat and drink but at the moment Alexia was at a loss of what to do next. As he looked about the interior of the command center of the now Quarian occupied Military Bunker.

Multiple broken screens have been otherwise replaced while the cleaner oriented Quarians had put their backs into dusting and removing any spot of grime within the room. The Command Center was now a bustling hive of activity as the Quarians worked to restore ancient systems to present day standards.

In fact, Alexia turned his head towards one of the former engineers of the Numenberg'Quipla.

"Report, Bolep."

The silver suited Quarian turned towards the captain of their former ship before nodding his head, his Omni-Tool igniting across his hand as he flicked his three fingered hand and sent information to the main screen.

"Of course, Captain. As we have finished mapping the entire complex, we have established several fallback points in the event this place is discovered by the Batarians. While most of the coding is aged rather poorly, our remaining engineers have otherwise brought twenty percent of the coding to present day standards. However, several sections aren't receiving the power they should be and as such we are working to discover where the break in the connection is occurring.

In addition, we have discovered and catalogued some two hundred assorted Rebellion Era Firearms that we can fall back on in the event our current ones break for whatever reason. That isn't to say that what we have is going to last up but if you expect us to fight and face off against an entire planet then I must ask if you are truly fit to lead. Now we have two Type 9-Aj Spirit Ground Assault Vehicles and Six APCs from the Rebellion Age as well."

That certainly caught the captain's attention as he turned his gaze to the screen to show the two armored tanks, covered in dust but based on scans, still usable.

"Why would the Turians leave such things to be abandoned?"

That question from one of the Engineers caused Bolep to chuckle as he shook his head.

"Probably forgotten about in the aftermath of the Rebellions as the Turians were being added to the Council for their services in stemming the Rebellion."

Alexia nodded his head in slight understanding before motioning for Bolep to continue with the situation.

"Ah yea, well continuing on. The medical bay and mess hall have both been restocked and the bacterial scrubber drones have been released on mass through the bunker complex while our engineers look for the air intake systems so that the drones can be implanted there and allowed to purify any air that enters and leaves the complex.

Other than that, not much else has really happened in the last two days Captain. However, Tali has managed to hack into the Batarian comm network rather easily and we have detected more movement from the pirates. In fact, the Systems can show us a proper picture of what they are doing right now."

With a few flicks of his hand, the screen displaying the complex was changed to show several camera systems located outside the bunker on the rocky outcroppings that the bunker was built inside of to begin with. While over half only displayed static due to the cameras themselves being destroyed, the others displayed a very different picture for those watching.

Starships could barely be seen through the thick cloud cover higher up as they breached the atmosphere and touched down here and there. Thankfully nowhere near their own location.

"As you can see Captain the Batarians are likely to turn this planet into another of their Slave Trading Posts. We have several options till we get in touch with the Council or the Admiralty, but the choice is yours. We could merely wait it out, watch and gather as much information, or we do something really stuid and try to disrupt their operations… if they launch raids out of this system, we might be able to save some of those slaves."

Alexia's options weren't what he would call tactically sound in any shape or form in any measure, but yet he understood that he had to think of the crew first before anything.

"I will have to put this into consideration...for now continue your work."


0121.08.19

Terminus Systems - Unnamed Sector

Quarian Pilgram Fleet

Admiral Rael'Zorah

Rael'Zorah smashed his hands into the keyboard as once again his pleas for aid had gone unanswered. The Admiralty was ignoring him, no, it was more they were refusing to help him. Again and again, he had tried for the last two months to insist that the Admiralty help him at the very least secure the remains of their people on the other side of the Relay. Yet each request was not only denied, but they seemed to be growing increasingly hostile towards him.

Accusations of putting the Migrant Fleet in jeopardy for his wayward daughter and associating with the Numenberg'Quiplawas enough to put them all at risk. His fists smashed once more into the keyboard, and like every time prior, the screen would shift minutes after the failed attempt. Once again that synthesized voice and the image Geth had returned.

"Your attempt Failed Creator Rael'Zorah...the other Creators will refuse to aid you as we have expressed on several occasions. We will assist you in the return of your people but in doing so you know the cost."

Rael'Zorah would look down at his feet for a few seconds, before he stood up. If this was how things were going to be then he had no choice. For his family he would see the Galaxy burn if it meant giving those, he loved just one more day of happiness. With a heavy heart he turned and started to walk out of his personal chambers.

One large bed, big enough to support two quarians, with a set of tables on either side of the bed at the head of it. While the room was slightly larger than others in the ship, it was only an additional ten meters compared to the Executive Officer of his vessel. In addition, the room was decorated with several ancient paintings from Rannoch that had been saved when the Geth, the very artificial intelligence that had driven them off world, was offering to help him now.

"Rael you are treading on dangerous ground right now. You know what would happen if your communication to the Geth is discovered."

Ah there was the voice of the woman he loved. Always the voice of reason on this ship. Yet as Rael'Zorah turned to regard Aven'Zorah she placed a hand upon his chest and gently squeezed. His own hand clutching jets as he rested his forehead visor against her own.

"I know Aven, but I have to take this risk. If what the Geth are saying is true Tali is still alive even after all this time. I will leave this damned fleet and damn myself if it means saving our daughter. If you need to report me to the Admiralty Board then do so but I won't give up on-"

A hand cuts off his ranting as Aven'Zorah would shake her head. Light blue accents on her own environmental suit shifting color as she steps around and walks to the single door leading to the hall. The walls of the bedroom were covered in books that his family had been able to salvage before the Quarian people fled at the end of the war. Bookshelves filled with all manner of memories.

"I will happily join you and I think the whole of the ship will. You know how Tali brightened their lives simply by her actions. Each of them would give their arm to see her safely returned. So, you need to think of the crew's feelings as well as your own Rael before you go through with whatever plan of insanity you have decided upon."

Always the voice of reason behind his hair brained schemes. Even when the two were young children they actively did things such as this. Where Ava would help to bring him back before he did something exceptionally stupid. Yet here she was. Not stopping and yet not helping him. It left him confused for a few seconds before he breathed out.

"Alright. Alright. I'll make a ship wide announcement then."

The sliding door leading to the hallway outside remained closed as Ava reached over to tap at the aging keyboard. The age of the vessel hadn't yet allowed it to be equipped with holographic computer systems and as such key cards and passcodes required to be manually punched into the pad. Looking back into the room, Rael'Zorah turned his gaze towards several picture frames that he had set off to one side of the bedding he shared with his wife.

Family photos from both sides of his and Ava'Zorah's family. Including pictures of Tali as well, they also had a few pictures of friends and crew from the various ships both parents had lived on over the span of their lives. Turning around, Rael'Zorah focused his attention on the hallway just outside the Admiral's Room. Like most Quarian modeled ships, Pre-Morning War at least, the hallways were narrow and easy to pass through to account for Geth being part of the Crew.

Wide spaces between the walls as it were. Rather than smooth armor lining the inside of the vessel's hallways to obscure piping and electricity wiring, Quarians had shifted the interior wall armor outside to leave piping and wiring exposed. This was due in part to the age of the vessels and the need to replace and repair sections as age wore on them. Even now as Admiral Rael'Zorah walked from his room, several Engineers and patrolling arms men stopped to salute before resuming their duties.

"Though I'm not sure how well the crew will take this order Ava. There will be those willing to work with the Geth but there are more that will prove hostile. What are we supposed to do about them?"

Thankfully internal systems allowed the two to keep talking and not be heard by the soldiers and civilians they passed. More hallways were traversed as the two walked towards a tram. Given that he possessed one of the few Dreadnaughts of the Quarian, and its staggering size, a tram was installed in its initial construction to allow for rapid transit. Though it's weapons were aged and considered obsolete by the rest of the galaxy minus the Krogans, it still could take a lot of punishment. Four kilometers of staggering metal and blistering weapon systems.

"I think I can come up with a solution but in the event of a possible mutiny you will need to get us far enough away from the Fleet so that they can't call for help. I would like this to be resolved without bloodshed if at all possible."

Rael sighed out as the two turned down another hallway and continued on towards their destination. It was too early to set into motion their goals, but they need to think long term on this decision. It was more than likely many would disagree with the intended venture that he was putting himself and the crew through. A few seconds would pass as they walked by another opened door, another empty room where once a Quarian lived, now deserted. Like many other rooms within the ship. Rael'Zorah would breathe out before speaking a few seconds later.

"I know...I am thinking of rounding those up and putting them on a shuttle. I can have the VI's compile a list of potential mutinous individuals ahead of the broadcast and sequester them off in the docking bays. That way we can minimize damages to the ship and hopefully get them onto a transport for one of the other vessels in the Migrant Fleet.

That is to say I have no true idea how well this idea will work Ava, but can you work on that while I speak with the other Officers? I know of some that would be sympathetic to this plan, though I'm not sure how well they will willingly go along with it."

A hand ran down his face plate, and Rael was once again reminded of how he subconsciously performed actions that would make no sense for a Quarian to do. More than likely an action or tick that was picked up due to watching other species doing it. He was tired, tired of this life, of living day by day in a suit. Confined to such a sealed environment that he could never escape due to the Geth. Yet, it was a Geth, not a fellow Quarian, offering to help him regain what he had lost. Ava'Zorah broke the accumulated silence a few seconds later.

"Well, if that is the case, I might have some suggestions."

Well that either boded very favorable for him or very poorly for whomever was on the receiving end of his mate's shenanigans.

"And what exactly did you have in mind?"

Despite the face plating covering his own visage, he could almost feel the smirk that resided beneath that helmet. Yet as her idea was explained while they walked, Rael found himself increasingly agreeing with it. Somewhat dubious, somewhat unethical, and two parts mad. Sometimes he was reminded where Tali got her penchant for hairbrained schemes from. It took a few more minutes before they reached their destination. The Tenth Deck Tram System.

"Well, it would seem that we have some time to wait. I suppose this Rael. The Council will never let us colonize, usually due to one flimsy excuse or another. Though we can't settle in Council Space and trying to settle in the Terminus is just asking for disaster. The Traverse however may be more accommodating to us in the long run. The Council is intent to sit back and watch us wither due to crimes two hundred years old. Why should we hold ourselves to their standards if one mistake is enough to doom our people to extinction."

Quarian Live Ships consisted of over two hundred decks. Some were short, some were long, some were wide, and yet some were narrow. The various decks differed depending on usage. They however needed some way to get from one side to the other and as such, these trams had been installed to ensure quick transportation. Ranging from simple civilian sized Trams for moving personnel to different decks, to larger Trams meant for cargo. The Tram Station they arrived at had a few dozen other Quarians of various sizes, colored suits, and genders milling about.

"Ava, what you are asking for is more than just disobeying the Council, it is asking for a potential full-scale war. The Batarians would see this opportunity to finally gain the Quarians as a Client Race. Are you suggesting we ask the Geth to act as a shield till we can get back on our feet?"

However, upon the arrival of the Admiral, many saluted out of reflex. Rael'Zorah merely waving them off and telling them to be at ease. The Tram Station itself was currently closed due to the fact that there was, somewhere in the four-kilometer-long stretch of track, a tram currently active. The doors on both sides of the station, merely being a series of metallic arches with the loading platform before them, were closed off by sliding heavy shielding. Metallic and Plastics mixed to form a rather artistic material. Strong enough to survive collisions with derailed tram cars, and yet light enough to be opened in the event that the doors jammed.

"That may well be what we need to do Rael. The Geth are offering to help us get Tali back, but what happens after that? You and I both know that the Council will react negatively to this...I wouldn't be surprised if they start moving Turian or even the Batarians to put an end to us after our alliance is revealed. They hate AI, and I know for a fact that they will use this to put the final nail in our coffin."

Several terminals lined the walls on both sides of the station for use by Quarians, along with some decorative plants and benches were set between these terminals to allow for waiting as well. Between the three arches that were currently blocked by the protective walls, two sets of large metallic poles jutted from the floor to the ceiling. Suspended from four sides, a flat, perpendicular 2D Map of the 10'th Deck Tram System was displayed. While the Tram ran the underside belly of the ship, there were several branches off points to other sections.

"Ava my love….I know all this...if the Geth do not agree to help protect us, then we as a species will more than likely be condemned across the galaxy. I will not blindly lead our people to a slaughter if there are alternatives. Perhaps the Council can be reasoned with before they act in fear and haste. Though before them I worry about the other Admirals. Some may even side with the Council if they decide to go through with this."

Helpfully there was even a little diagram set to the side which detailed the meaning behind the different designed lines and their accompanying colors. Red solid line tracks went from the nose of the ship all the way down to near the engines. Though they did split off at certain junctions to lead to elevators which would take you to higher or lower decks of the vessel. A blue broken up line represented the opposite coming tram which ran from the engines to the front of the vessel. Like the Red Line, this one had break off points which would connect to elevators to go to other Decks.

"The Migrant Fleet will scatter more than likely once the other Admirals realize what is going to come after we leave. We will be a people truly dashed to the winds, but was that not our fate already once we left Rannoch? Left to wander aimlessly and adrift."

Smaller and more numerous Green Solid Lines ran off from the Blue Line but were shorter and tended to end at important sectors of Deck 10. Orange Broken up Lines ran off the Red Line and fulfilled the same purpose as the Green Line but on the other side. A large display overlooking the center arch stated that the Tram was to arrive in half an hour.

"We truly do stand at a crossroad don't we...we've made our beds. Though I may have an alternative to using the Geth to shield us from the Council. I'll forward it to your Omni-Tool but the Fleet has been receiving strange bursts of coding and energy from the Attican Traverse for some years now. It might be that other species have risen from their world. We might be able to find some kind of asylum within their borders. Any space faring species would have need for good engineers and given our own jump start, we could offer our technical aid in exchange for said Asylum."

The notion had promise and the idea was starting to grow as Rael'Zorah would send a silent message about wanting to talk to the crew around them. Sitting down, Rael would turn his attention to the others in the Tram Station.

"I have to ask you all, as you no doubt know, we are currently sitting in the Terminus awaiting the other Admirals decision on our next course of action in regards to the Numenberg'Quipla. I have had no success in changing their minds to go after the ship and its crew. My own daughter is on that vessel, more than likely some of you have either friends or a family member scattered about the rest of the fleet.

If it was your own families or friends stuck on that vessel, stranded, with Batarian Raiders and Pirates potentially enslaving them...would you wait and debate?"

This caused several of the Quarians to turn towards others. A mother grasped her son's hand. A lover intertwined his with his husband's own. Then one of them stepped forward. An older man, missing an arm, clearly having served with the Marines aboard one of the other ships.

"Well sir, if I may be so bold as to say so, but the bosh'tets aren't worth our time if they are going to sit on their assess while our own are in the line of fire. I say we go through that Relay and get our own back!"

Well that certainly helped with his current mood. Nevertheless, as more Quarians voiced their approval of these ideas, some dissenters would emerge. The young, the brash, and even the arrogant.

"They opened a Relay, you all know that by Citadel Law they and their entire species are punishable. This falls on all Quarians. We can't take any more strain than we already are. At this rate they may just cut off all support from their worlds and refuse to even let us journey there."

The young man had a point but at the same time, the Council had thrown them out to die the moment the Morning War had ended in Geth Victory. They had been left for extinction to begin with after all. As the debate and arguments started to rise, Rael'Zorah and Ava'Zorah looked towards one another, nodded their heads, and stood up. Rael was the first to speak.

"Then I ask you, if I decide to go through the Relay with this vessel to save those on the other side, would you follow me? I can't promise you anything. In all likelihood we may well be going to our own demise. If you want to leave the vessel then meet in Hanger 6 on Deck 100."

Silence met his pronouncement before an eruption of anger, confusion, agreement, and even threats were directed at him from the crew before them. Yet none moved to approach, held in check by those that agreed with his and Ava's joint decision. Even as the Tram finally arrived and Quarians left, they were swept up into the talk. The conversation slowly swelled as those leaving joined and those there left. This would ensure that talk would spread amongst the ship and more than likely the Migrant Fleet itself.


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